Restoration of 2358R

[BDA]

British standard? Are they "normally" threaded nuts (eg. 10-32) with non-SAE hexes?

[Certified Lotus]

When I took them off not one of my sockets fit except British Standard. I tried again today to see if any of my sockets would fit the nuts, nope. Only British standard.

[BDA]

Back in the day, my Lola racecar had a windscreen that was screwed on with 10-32 screws but I didn't have a wrench that fit the nuts. They drove me crazy till  I got rid of the windscreen but I think I still have some of those nuts.  I don't remember having that problem with the turn signal mounts but I may have just used "normal" 10-32 (or were they 8-32?) AN nuts as a practice.

[cwtech]

When I took them off not one of my sockets fit except British Standard. I tried again today to see if any of my sockets would fit the nuts, nope. Only British standard.

I guess it's true that I'm never too old to learn!

Here in the USA, hex nuts for a 10-32 screw are usually 11/32" or 3/8" across the flats.

According to sources on the 'net:  British Standard Whitworth 3/16" hex nuts are .445" across the flats,  British Standard Fine are 11/32" across flats.  ...I also see a British Association designation of 2BA screw of .185" diameter having 31.4 tpi, requiring a 2BA socket.

Just curious, do you know what the measurement across the flats of the nut is?  ...How is the socket which fit marked?

[TheKid#9]

Hey Glen and everyone.

The europa is coming along nice. Keep it up!

I haven't been on here in a long, long time. Everything is going well in my life, I had some unfortunate things happen in my personal life that I needed to take care of. Luckily ALL OF THAT is in the past now. Don't worry, I still have my europa and my health is much better now. Glad to see the forum is still thriving and new members are joining. For those that do not know me, I welcome you!
I'll let you guys know if I decide to make it up to LOG this year. It would be a road trip but its been a long time since I've talked to Lotus fans. I might see if I can make it happen this year.

[BDA]

Hey Kid! It's great to hear from you! I hope you can make it to the LOG this year, but unfortunately I won't be able to meet you there.

I'm sorry to hear you had some health issues but I'm glad that's in the past.

Welcome back!

[Certified Lotus]

Chris, great to hear from you! Glad to know your alright and you still have your Europa. There have been many times I have thought about the restoration of your car while I was working on mine.

Let me know if you decide to go to LOG this year. Several of us from the NJ area are talking the slow route driving back roads over two days in classic Lotus cars (meaning older). You are welcome to join us!

[Certified Lotus]

cwtech, the socket size is 3/16BS. See photos below. The nuts are already installed and I would have to remove them to get the measurement of the flat across the nut. Sorry, but I’m trying to move forward on my rebuild, not backwards.

[cwtech]

Thanks, Glen!

No, I wouldn't ask, or expect, you to take anything apart for measurement.  ...I didn't know if you had measured the nuts while searching for a socket.

[Certified Lotus]

Installed the headlight speed nuts on the body, rubber gaskets, headlight bowl assembly and trim ring.  The original metal bowls were rusted and I was going to restore them when I saw how inexpensive they were from RD.  It was cheaper to buy new than to restore the old ones. I used stainless screws for attaching and new rubber gaskets. The chrome trim rings just needed a good polishing. Reinstalling the trim rings is a bit odd as they need to snap onto the metal bowl protrusions and it takes some finessing to get right.

[dakazman]

I believe that it’s the same as moss motors Triumph gt6 headlight assembly.
Looks great certified 😀👍

[BDA]

Those headlight buckets and their adjusting system is used by a lot of British cars - e.g. MGs, early Triumphs, and probably many more. Sometimes the trim ring can be very difficult to get off the bucket so be careful.

[jbcollier]

There are multiple versions of the headlight trim ring and they are not interchangeable.  Some attach with a screw, some with a clip, etc.  Make sure you use whatever matches your bucket.

[4129R]

But the screws go in the bottom. They were used on all minis.

[Certified Lotus]

No screws on these trim rings. And yes they are a pain to remove and get back on. I made the "special tool" identified in the shop manual to remove the trim ring. No scratching my new paint job .......